Sri Lanka Edges Out Hong Kong in Thrilling Asia Cup Clash
In a nail-biting finish at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka pulled off a four-wicket victory over Hong Kong in their Asia Cup Group B match on Monday. Chasing 150, the Lankans wobbled in the middle but held on with seven balls to spare, thanks to a steady knock from Pathum Nissanka and a fiery cameo from Wanindu Hasaranga. This game marked the tournament’s first real thriller, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
Hong Kong posted 149/4 in 20 overs, powered by Nizakat Khan’s unbeaten 52 and Anshuman Rath’s 48. Sri Lanka’s bowlers, led by Dushmantha Chameera with 2/29 and Dasun Shanaka’s miserly 1/5, kept things tight. But in the chase, Hong Kong nearly pulled off a massive upset. They dropped six catches and suffered a costly no-ball from skipper Yasir Murtaza in the 18th over, leaving them with plenty of regrets.
Sri Lanka’s innings kicked off strongly. Opener Nissanka, in top form, smashed a confident four over mid-on off Murtaza right away. He survived an lbw scare against Ayush Shukla after a review, then exploded in the fourth over with a massive six, while Kusal Mendis added two leg-side boundaries. The powerplay ended at 35/1 after Mendis miscued a pull and fell to Shukla.
Kamil Mishara kept the momentum going with a towering six off Murtaza and a crisp boundary through cover off Kinchit Shah. But Hong Kong’s clever short-ball tactics struck back—Mishara pulled one straight to deep mid-wicket off Aizaz Khan. Nissanka stayed calm, blasting boundaries off Aizaz and Ehsan Khan to reach his fifty in just 35 balls.
Kusal Perera survived two tough chances off Shukla in the 14th over, and Nissanka fired back with back-to-back leg-side boundaries. Perera then smashed Aizaz for four over his head, and Nissanka dazzled with a flicked boundary over short fine leg. Hong Kong’s fielding woes continued: Anshuman Rath dropped Nissanka at deep mid-wicket, turning it into a boundary, and Ehsan Khan let another chance slip.
Suddenly, disaster hit Sri Lanka. Nissanka got run out, and Perera fell lbw to Murtaza. The collapse deepened as Charith Asalanka slashed to short third man off Ehsan, and Kamindu Mendis holed out to deep mid-wicket off Murtaza. At 124/6, things looked grim.
Enter Wanindu Hasaranga. Under massive pressure, he smashed Murtaza for a six on a free hit and followed with a four. He then lofted and drilled Ateeq Iqbal for two quick boundaries, sealing the win with his unbeaten 20 off nine balls. Nissanka top-scored with 68 off 44, guiding his team to 153/6 in 18.5 overs.
Hong Kong’s bowlers fought hard—Yasir Murtaza took 2/37, and Ehsan Khan claimed 1/25—but those fielding errors proved too costly. Sri Lanka starts their Asia Cup campaign on a high, while Hong Kong heads home dreaming of what could have been.
Brief Scores: Hong Kong 149/4 in 20 overs (Nizakat Khan 52, Anshuman Rath 48; Dushmantha Chameera 2-29, Dasun Shanaka 1-5) lost to Sri Lanka 153/6 in 18.5 overs (Pathum Nissanka 68, Wanindu Hasaranga 20; Yasir Murtaza 2-37, Ehsan Khan 1-25) by four wickets.
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